Self-Service Applications Improve Customer Service Interactions

Miami-Dade County, Fla.

The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) is an around the clock, year-round operation. It has become vital that WASD educate and engage our customers through the latest technological advancements available on the market. Two such technological initiatives that WASD has recently debuted are a self-service application and IBM’s Watson, supercomputer. Both give customers 24-hour access to their billable charges with greater detail, historical consumption, and many other interactive features. While this information has always been available, customers were limited to obtaining it at one of three walk-in offices or would have to call the Customer Service Call Center which is open from 8 am – 7 pm Monday through Friday. By introducing these interactive, personalized, self-service features the department has facilitated access to customers’ bills in greater detail, along with the option of requesting many of the departments core services, now 24 hours a day. In less than 12 months more than 120,000 customers have visited the Department’s self-service site and more than 4,800 have directly interacted with the IBM Watson solution via a chat, know to customers as AVA (Automated Virtual Assistant). With the ever-growing advancements in technology, which continues to make access to information more readily available, and the demand of nearly 2.3 million customers in the WASD service area, keeping up with customers’ expectations for services and information continues to be a challenge that the Department is dedicated to meeting.

About 100 Brilliant Ideas at Work

Counties play an essential role in keeping America’s communities healthy, vibrant and safe. With public and private sector partners, we pursue innovative approaches to advance public health and well-being, protect public safety and foster economic strength and resiliency. Counties anticipate and adapt to challenges by thinking outside the box and demonstrating local leadership that makes a difference in people’s lives.

Under the leadership of NACo Immediate Past President Bryan Desloge, NACo embarked on an initiative to identify and share 100 examples of visionary county leadership that results in improving residents’ quality of life. Through this initiative, NACo worked with county leaders and partners to share best practices that bolster our nation’s ability to thrive county by county.